76 Hours in Scotland - Day 2, Edinburgh Castle

NOTE: Click on the photos to enlarge them for better viewing.
Thursday morning found us out the door and walking down to the Grass Market in Old town by 9:30, ready to shop for souvenirs and tour some of the historical sites here in Edinburgh.

 The Grass Market

Viewing the Castle from the Grass Market

The sign said "Stand here for the best selfie with the castle". So I did.

Victoria Street - purported to be one of the inspirations for Diagon Alley in the Harry Potter stories. 

A small Harry Potter Museum and shop.

The Basilisk and a message on the mirror.

A very interesting plaque.. well, maybe not. 

Leaving Victoria Street.

Back on the Royal Mile. Yes they still have telephone booths.

Sights and sounds of the Royal Mile in Edinburgh.

As we walked up to the castle there was a "Street Piper" playing for everyone.

 We went into the Tartan Mill where we actually saw one of the very old mechanical weaving machines at work.

These are some of the Modern "World" Tartans.

Finally at the Castle.
The Esplanade of the castle where they hold the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo every August.

For 2000 yrs. there has been some type of fortress on this volcanic rock and these gates have guarded the castle.

The major part of this castle was built in 12th century and various buildings were continually added to the fortress over the centuries.

Your entry fee comes with an introductory tour which was extremely informative and entertaining.

Views from the castle walls.

Foogs gate.

The building below was originally built as a barracks in the late 18th or early 19th century, but in the 20th century was turned into a war memorial.

David's Tower on the left and the brewery. Well, it's now just a Pub I think.

The oldest building on the grounds, St. Margaret's Chapel, built around 1150 AD built by Margaret's  son, King David I.

The front of the War Memorial.

The Royal Palace of the fortress comprises the royal apartments built in the 1400's. In this residence Mary Queen of Scots gave birth to her son, King James the VI in June 1566.

It is also the home of the Crown Room, which now houses The Honors of Scotland: the Crown, the Scepter and the Sword of State. It also houses the Stone of Scone, upon which the Monarchs of Scotland were traditionally crowned.

The Antechamber of the Royal apartment.

The Wee Room where King James VI was born.

Laich Hall, remodeled int he 1600s as a dining room.

The King's Crest above the fireplace.

The royal crest of Scotland. 

The national animal of Scotland is the Unicorn. Yes, it's mythical, but in mythology the Unicorn is the only animal that can defeat a lion, which is the national animal of England. (of course the National Animal of Wales is the Dragon. Not sure what that means for the rest of Great Britian).

The Great Hall of the palace. 

In 1880 a preservation society decided to return it to its former glory. Of course, they decorated it in more of a 1700s style, not a medieval style, but it still is impressive to see.

They had a demonstration by an archer while we were there. Quite entertaining as he handled long bows and cross bows.

A view of the Chapel and David's tower.

A view from the wall in front of the chapel.

Inside the very tiny chapel.

Our final stop of the tour was the dungeon and prison. We did see some graffiti on the exterior wall.

There we sailors from the American Revolution captured at sea and held prisoner here. If you look close you can see a tiny American Flag carved into this door.

It is believed to be the oldest image of the American Flag in Great Britain.

Just another view of the castle.

Looking down on the city before reaching the esplanade.

Leaving the castle and heading for the Royal Mile. 

It's very easy to spend 2 - 4 hours in this wonderful historical site, so if you ever go, be sure to make enough time to see it.

We left the castle and walked the length of the Royal mile, stopping at shops and a beautiful church along the way. Come back tomorrow to see how we ended this epic day.

Fun Fact - The Royal Mile is approximately one Scots mile which measures 1.124 miles or 1.81 km. This measurement has not been used since the 1800s.